Hard disk prices are decreasing with the increasing demand for storage, which, as an add-on in a phone or in a computer, never seems to be enough.

One of the newest storage options to emerge has been the Terabyte hard disk. These hard disks are now all poised to take over in a world where gigabytes of storage no longer seems to be enough, thanks to the boom in hi-definition videos and increasing size of applications.

Hard Disk Storage Capacity over the Years

Inside A Hard Disk

Personal computers have come a long way since the days of small megabytes of hard disk space. When GUI operating systems emerged for the first time, the capacity of storage devices like hard disks also increased. The first gigabyte hard disks had the amount of space that now comes in the Random Access Memory (RAM) of fast desktops and laptops.

The Ever Increasing Need For Space

As computing power has increased by gigantic leaps, the power and functionality of operating systems and application software have also increased. This increased power entails the need for more space for all these software.

Data and Storage

Besides the software, the size of data files and documents has also increased. As the world digs deeper into the age of information, every bit of data on every subject under the sun is being digitized. Scientific records, research data, books, etc are being stored in bits and bytes.

Multimedia and Storage

500 GB Hard Disk

Previously, most of the information stored in computers was in the form if text, with some images. Computers now store multiple types of media like images, text, audio, and video. As the quality of such media increases, the size of such media, even in highly compressed formats, keeps increasing. This contributes to the increasing demand for storage space.

The 3TB Hard Disk

A few years ago, hard disk storage capacity hit the terabyte mark. Many 1TB and 2TB hard disks entered the market and found ready buyers. Now the capacity has been extended to 3TB.

Do You Really Need 3TB?

This is a very subjective question, as the answer depends on the type of user that you are. If you just have important documents on your personal computer, and a few gigabytes of music and some movies, you might get by with a 250 to 500 GB hard disk.

If you have a lot of multimedia files, you can opt for the 1TB option. As the size of software and applications is also increasing, it might make sense to opt for the higher end storage like the 3TB HDD, which is essentially new technology.

Why You Might Need 3TB

3TB Hard Disk

As applications these days provide more and more features, they are also getting bigger in size. So, you will need a lot of space just to accommodate the operating system, system files, and other installed applications.

In addition to these, you may also have word documents, Excel files, presentations, e-books, photographs, music files, and personal home videos that you’ll need storage space for. Hard disks these days also make it easier to store high quality media, especially TV shows, movies and some occasional BBC or National Geographic-style documentaries that people prefer to watch.

These files consume a huge amount of space, especially in high quality format, so it makes sense to go for a lot of storage space when you buy a new system or buy a secondary hard disk.

Why You Might Not Need 3TB

This is the age of the cloud storage and streaming media. With the ever increasing speed of internet connections and the availability of storage on the network, it doesn’t make sense to go for devices such as high end hard disks anymore. Plus, with many sites providing streaming options that allow you to watch movies and TV shows without having to download them, the need to store such media in your system is decreasing.

Even applications can be accessed over the Internet, with SaaS and cloud computing services. Music and movies can be watched over the internet. You can store your files on secured cloud systems, and access them from wherever you are.

In this scenario, the 3TB hard disk, though tempting, does seem a bit too much for the average user. The 3TB hard disk prices are also on the higher side, making them a not-so-affordable option.Unless you are interested in storing a few thousand DVD-quality movies or a few hundred Blu-ray quality movies in your computer system, or unless you want to store a few hundred thousand music files, you do not actually need a 3TB hard disk. Most people can get by with a 500 to 1TB disk even if they do have a lot of media files.

Ultimately though, it is a matter of personal choice. If you do not have access to high speed Internet connections, or prefer to have your media files stored locally where you can access them quickly, and do not mind the higher hard disk prices for the higher end options, the 3TB hard disk might be the right option for you.